VIDEO: Model simulations spanning 140 years show that warming from carbon dioxide will change the frequency that regions around the planet receive no rain (brown), moderate rain (tan), and very heavy... Click here for more information. A NASA-led modeling study provides new evidence that global warming may increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought. The study shows for the first time how rising carbon dioxide concentrations could affect the entire range of rainfall ...

In Guerrero, Oaxaca, Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco regions (as well as others in the Yucatan Peninsula) of Mexico hundreds of fires were detected by the MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite. The location, widespread nature, and number of fires suggest that these fires were deliberately set to manage land. Farmers often use fire to return nutrients to the soil and to clear the ground of unwanted plants. While fire helps enhance crops and grasses for pasture, the fires also produce smoke that degrades air quality. In Mexico, the agricultural burning season usually occurs ...

SAN FRANCISCO, May 3, 2013 – The 2011 Tohoku earthquake is the best recorded and most studied giant earthquake, resulting in a remarkable suite of observations. A special issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA) captures the latest progress in understanding what happened when this massive M >9 earthquake struck offshore of Japan and produced a devastating tsunami that claimed almost 20,000 lives and precipitated the world's second worst nuclear power plant disaster. "While not the final word, this special issue synthesizes the latest understanding ...

For years, Paul Shaw, PhD, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has used what he learns in fruit flies to look for markers of sleep loss in humans. Shaw reverses the process in a new paper, taking what he finds in humans back to the flies and gaining new insight into humans as a result: identification of a human gene that is more active after sleep deprivation. "I'm calling the approach cross-translational research," says Shaw, associate professor of neurobiology. "Normally we go from model to human, but there's no reason why we can't ...

The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 1:32 pm EDT on May 3, 2013. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare is ongoing, and the radio blackout for this flare has already subsided. This flare is classified as an M5.7-class flare. M-class flares are the weakest flares ...

A new kind of cosmic flash may reveal something never seen before: the birth of a black hole. When a massive star exhausts its fuel, it collapses under its own gravity and produces a black hole, an object so dense that not even light can escape its gravitational grip. According to a new analysis by an astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), just before the black hole forms, the dying star may generate a distinct burst of light that will allow astronomers to witness the birth of a new black hole for the first time. Tony Piro, a postdoctoral ...

New Rochelle, May 2, 2013–Tumor repressor genes, which inhibit tumor formation, can be "turned off" due to undesirable molecular changes affecting the chromosomes on which the genes reside. Understanding and being able to control these alterations could lead to new approaches for activating or inactivating genes linked to cancer. A novel, high-throughput screening method used to identify agents that can block one chemical modifier that plays a key role in some forms of cancer is described in ASSAY and Drug Development Technologies, a peer-reviewed journal published from ...

New Rochelle, NY, May 1, 2013—Congestive heart failure affects more than 5.3 million Americans, is increasing in prevalence, and is ultimately fatal, but the duration and quality of life leading up to death can be unpredictable and vary greatly. Patients and caregivers could better plan for this difficult time if they knew what to expect. Five of the most common scenarios for the last 12 months of life in end-stage heart failure are clearly described in the article "Trajectory of Illness for Patients with Congestive Heart Failure," published in Journal of Palliative Medicine, ...

We all know that buying food when we are hungry is a recipe for disaster. When we are hungry, we can be especially sensitive to sights and smells of foods that will satiate, but may lack in nutrient content. What if we could make our meal choices when we are full, and not anticipating the feeling of satiation we all enjoy? Would we make healthier choices? Researchers at the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs (B.E.N. Center) set out to test whether or not preordering lunch would nudge students make healthier entrée choices. Lunch pre-order ...

WASHINGTON, DC – Pediatric leaders and researchers will tackle the complex and often politically charged subject of gun violence during a special symposium on Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. The symposium, "Protecting the Health of Our Children Through Scientific Approaches to Gun Safety and Violence Prevention" will focus on guns and youth, violent media, guns and suicide, the pathway to violence, and community efforts to prevent gun violence. Among the speakers is Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, FAAP, who ...

WASHINGTON, DC – Pediatricians, economists, social scientists and policy experts will come together on Saturday, May 4, to address one of the greatest threats to child health — poverty. The group will take part in a plenary session titled, "A National Agenda to End Childhood Poverty," at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. The session will cover a range of issues related to childhood poverty, including its measurement, its impact on child health and potential solutions. Children are the poorest segment of society: 22 percent of ...

WASHINGTON, DC – As parents, physicians and policymakers look for ways to curb childhood obesity, they may need to look no further than a child's own backyard. A new study to be presented Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting shows that preschool children are less likely to be obese if they live in a neighborhood that is safe and within walking distance of parks and retail services. "A child's neighborhood is a potentially modifiable risk factor for obesity that we can target in order to stop the increasing prevalence of obesity ...

WASHINGTON, DC – Word on the street has it you should replace your toothbrush after suffering from a cold, the flu or a bout of strep throat. That may not be necessary — at least when it comes to sore throats, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. Some health care professionals advise children to toss their toothbrushes if they have been diagnosed with strep throat. Researchers from University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston wanted to determine if that advice is warranted. ...

WASHINGTON, DC – Pregnant women are advised not to smoke during pregnancy because it can harm the baby's lungs and lead to wheezing and asthma, among other problems. If a woman absolutely can't kick the habit, taking vitamin C during pregnancy may improve her newborn's lung function and prevent wheezing in the first year of life, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. "Vitamin C is a simple, safe and inexpensive treatment that may decrease the impact of smoking during pregnancy ...

WASHINGTON, DC – Teens can get hundreds of text messages a day, but one message they aren't getting is that they shouldn't text and drive. Nearly 43 percent of high school students of driving age who were surveyed in 2011 reported texting while driving at least once in the past 30 days, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. "Texting while driving has become, in the words of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a 'national epidemic,'" said principal investigator Alexandra Bailin, ...

NEW YORK -- May 4, 2013 /Press Release/ –– Toxic waste sites with elevated levels of lead and chromium cause a high number of "healthy years of life lost" in individuals living near 373 sites located in India, Philippines and Indonesia, according to a study by a Mount Sinai researcher published online today in Environmental Health Perspectives. The study leader, Kevin Chatham-Stephens, MD, Pediatric Environmental Health Fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, presented the findings today at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, ...

NEW HYDE PARK, NY – A recent study by pediatricians from the Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York examined to what extent pediatric physicians adhere to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical guidelines regarding pharmacotherapy in treating young patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The results showed that more than 90 percent of medical specialists who diagnose and manage ADHD in preschoolers do not follow treatment guidelines recently published by the AAP. "It is unclear why so many physicians who specialize in the management ...

Child support in North Carolina Article provided by The Law Office of Matthew T. Marcellino, PLLC Visit us at http://www.mtmlawfirm.com There are few responsibilities in life as great as raising a child. All of the time and effort that parents put in to this responsibility allows the child to reach his or her full potential. If this support disappears, the child could struggle, and face challenges that may be too difficult to overcome. When parents decide to end a relationship, these obligations to support the child still exist. Parties may need the court to ...

Factors that court considers in North Carolina relocations Article provided by The Law Office of Matthew T. Marcellino, PLLC Visit us at http://www.mtmlawfirm.com Child custody matters are often some of the most difficult cases that courts need to address. When the parents are unable to come to a decision that allows each to spend time with the child, the court will need to step in and determine the child's best interests. This can be a very emotional time for both the parents and children, often leading to arguments between the parties. Once the court enters ...

Impact of SCOTUS narcotic dog cases on New York drug charges Article provided by D. Jen Brown, Esq. Attorney at Law Visit us at http://www.djenbrownesq.com/ The Supreme Court of the United States, or SCOTUS, recently ruled on two drug-sniffing dog cases. The first case, Florida v. Harris, involved the question of whether a narcotics dog can search a vehicle without the owner's consent while the second case, Florida v. Jardines, asked whether the dog could be used to search a person's curtilage, or the area immediately surrounding their home. Rulings issued by ...

Dutchess County woman receives DWI charges Article provided by D. Jen Brown, Esq. Attorney at Law Visit us at http://www.djenbrownesq.com/ The Mount Kisco police recently reported that a woman in Dutchess County drove off the road and was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated. According to the allegations, the driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.22 percent. Driving while intoxicated (DWI) charges can come with serious penalties. If convicted, the driver could face imprisonment, fines and a driver's license suspension. An aggravated ...

New tax laws add complexity to high-asset divorce settlements Article provided by The McKeon Law Firm Visit us at http://www.mckeonlawfirm.com The new federal tax laws that went into effect this year are making divorce settlements more complicated for certain couples. In particular, divorces involving substantial assets are likely to be affected by the new tax laws. On January 1, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act went into effect. Congress enacted the measure in order to avoid the "fiscal cliff" -- an assortment of spending cuts and increases in ...

Living trusts offer many advantages over wills Article provided by Law Office of Hugh Duff Robertson P.C. Visit us at http://www.lawhdr.com When you think of estate planning, you often think of making a will. Although, wills are an important part of estate planning, there are many alternatives. Among the alternatives is a living trust. Although a living trust and a will have some similarities, living trusts offer some important advantages over a will. What is a living trust? A living trust is a written agreement where you, the creator of the trust, choose ...

Underage DWI major concern for law enforcement during prom season Article provided by Law Offices of Norman Mattar Visit us at http://www.normanmattar.com As the school year comes to a close, there are many important events that still remain on the calendar. Spring is prom season, and after prom, graduation. Teens look forward to these milestones, and often will plan large celebrations to commemorate these occasions. Prior to these events, school staff and law enforcement officers will try to increase awareness of some of the dangers of drinking and driving. ...

New Jersey court dismisses DUI charges due to trial delays Article provided by Damico, Del Sardo & Montanari, LLC Visit us at http://www.njdwicriminalattorney.com A man facing charges for driving under the influence of alcohol in New Jersey had his case dismissed because he did not receive a speedy trial, NBC reported recently. The man was charged with DUI after swerving into a police car and injuring an officer in 2007. Although the driver pleaded guilty to assault by auto and spent a year on probation, his DUI charge was referred to municipal court, where ...